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Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Founder of DroneXL.co, where he covers all drone-related news, DJI rumors and writes drone reviews, and of EVXL.co, for all electric vehicle news. Haye can be reached at haye @ dronexl.co or @hayekesteloo. Also on LinkedIn, Muck Rack, Instagram and YouTube.

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Japan Scrambles Jets as Chinese Drone Flies Near Taiwan Amid "Sea of Fire" Threats
Russia

Japan Scrambles Jets as Chinese Drone Flies Near Taiwan Amid “Sea of Fire” Threats

Japan scrambled its fighter jets on Sunday after a suspected Chinese military drone was detected flying near its southernmost territory, dangerously escalating tensions that have flared over the future of Taiwan. The incident comes just days after Beijing issued a chilling threat to turn Japan into a “sea of fire.” This is not a routine…

Ukraine Emerges as NATO’s Drone Warfare Teacher as Europe Rushes to Learn Battle-Tested Tactics
Ukraine

Ukraine Launches Mass Production Of Octopus Interceptor Drones As Russia Unleashes 430-Drone Attack On Kyiv

Ukraine has begun mass production of its domestically developed Octopus interceptor drone system, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Friday, just hours after Russia launched one of the war’s deadliest drone attacks on Kyiv. The announcement marks a critical escalation in Ukraine’s efforts to build cost-effective air defenses against Russia’s relentless Shahed drone campaign. The…

Concord Police Expands Drone-as-First-Responder Program with Skydio X10 Fleet
Skydio

Brooklyn Park Approves $4.6M Drone First Responder Program With Skydio After Legislator Killing

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota’s City Council unanimously approved a $4.6 million expansion of its police technology contract to implement a Drone as First Responder program, bringing the department’s total 10-year agreement with Axon Enterprise to $12.4 million. The November 10 vote positions the Minneapolis suburb as the latest American city replacing Chinese-made drones with U.S. alternatives…

Ukrainian soldier wearing FPV goggles kneeling in a field while flying a small drone
Aerovironment

From Florist To Drone Maker: How Ukraine’s War Democratized Military Technology And Sparked A Global Industry Boom

Before Russia’s invasion, Kseniia Kalmus arranged flowers in Kyiv and traveled Europe showcasing floral designs. Today, she builds combat drones that destroy Russian equipment on the front lines. Her transformation from artisan to arms manufacturer encapsulates how Ukraine’s conflict has democratized military technology and triggered explosive growth in both drone production and counter-drone indu

DroneXL Exclusive: Score Up To $40 Off Skyrover Drones With Amazon Prime Delivery Through Year's End
Amazon

Skyrover S1 Drones Now 15% Off With Amazon Coupon Plus DroneXL Exclusive Code

American drone pilots just caught a break—but only for six more days. The Skyrover S1 and S1 Fly More Combo qualify for a stackable 10% Amazon coupon on top of DroneXL’s exclusive 5% discount codes for a combined 15% off, dropping the S1 Fly More Combo to just $424.15 before tax. The Amazon coupon expires…

Anduril And UAE's EDGE Group Launch $200M Joint Venture To Mass-Produce Omen Hybrid VTOL Drone
Anduril

Anduril And UAE’s EDGE Group Launch $200M Joint Venture To Mass-Produce Omen Hybrid VTOL Drone

Anduril Industries and the United Arab Emirates’ EDGE Group announced a landmark defense technology partnership on November 13, 2025, establishing the EDGE-Anduril Production Alliance to co-develop and manufacture autonomous aircraft for Middle East markets. The joint venture centers on Omen, a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing drone that Anduril founder Palmer Luckey has championed as…

Russia Recruiting 12,000 North Korean Workers For Shahed Drone Factory At $2.50 Per Hour
Ukraine

Russia Recruiting 12,000 North Korean Workers For Shahed Drone Factory At $2.50 Per Hour

Russia plans to import 12,000 North Korean workers to its primary drone manufacturing facility by the end of 2025, where they’ll assemble the Shahed attack drones pounding Ukrainian cities for just $2.50 per hour, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) announced that the workers will be deployed to the Alabuga Special…

Counter-Drone Radar Firm Chaos Industries Raises $510M As Defense Tech Investment Hits Record Highs
Anduril

Counter-Drone Radar Firm Chaos Industries Raises $510M As Defense Tech Investment Hits Record Highs

Counter-drone radar manufacturer Chaos Industries has secured $510 million in a Series D funding round that closed last month, bringing the Los Angeles-based company’s valuation to $4.5 billion. The funding represents the latest sign of surging investor interest in defense technology as drone threats validated by the Ukraine war drive unprecedented capital flows into the…

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